Baltimore County Police say man arrested in connection with ATM theft; investigators probe links to other incidents

One man was arrested early Tuesday after an attempted ATM theft at a Cockeysville bank, and investigators are looking into whether the crime could be linked to the rash of ATM thefts in the region.

Brazen ATM thefts have been occurring unabated for two years. In many cases, teams of suspects use stolen vehicles to crash into small businesses and methodically remove the ATMs from inside.

Such incidents have occurred throughout Baltimore, including last month on Thames Street in the heart of Fells Point. Baltimore County recently saw a string of such incidents, including on Oct. 14 at Security Square Mall, with thieves driving into the mall’s entrance and unsuccessfully trying to ram an ATM lose.

Because police have not reported any arrests in those cases, its unclear if the thefts are the work of one crew or multiple teams.

But police are hoping they might have caught a break. Around midnight, a Baltimore County police patrol unit saw three people attempting to steal an ATM from the WesBanco location in the 10000 block of York Rd. in Cockeysville. The WesBanco ATM was ripped from the exterior wall of the bank, causing about $65,000 worth of damage to the bank wall, county police said.

One of the three was caught. Police did not identify him, saying he was being interviewed and that the investigation was continuing.

“We cannot verify that this incident is related to any of the prior ATM thefts,” a county police spokeswoman said.

Baltimore Police said they are in contact with county authorities and say they have been working with regional partners to share information about ATM thefts.